 As a graduate student on summer vacation, I now find myself with more free time in the evenings than before. During my fall and spring semesters, my evenings consisted of class, homework, group meetings, and catching up on sleep. Now, I have more time to explore my hobbies and interests. This newfound time led me to recall the last time I had free time, which was during quarantine.
Like many others during quarantine, I tried to busy myself with several hobbies. I took up reading the classics, watching movies, embroidering, and painting. While partaking in these activities, I found myself in what could be described as a state of "flow." Flow is a concept by John Dattilo, a recreation, park, and tourism management professor at Penn State. According to him, people enter a state of flow when they engage in meaningful activities. Meaningful activities, either mental or physical, force us to concentrate. When we engage in meaningful activities and enter a state of flow, we can reduce loneliness and increase positive feelings. Loneliness can decrease our quality of life and affect our health. Hobbies can be meaningful activities. Depending on the hobby, we are forced to concentrate as we physically or mentally engage. Furthermore, when we are engrossed in our hobbies, our mind no longer has time to think about loneliness. We often feel better and happier during and after our hobbies. My goal for this summer is to re-engage in meaningful activities and find my state of "flow" once more. I have already started re-reading one of my favorite books and plan to pursue more artistic hobbies, such as painting and sculpting. We should all try to take up a hobby. Hobbies do not need to be expensive or incredibly time-consuming; they can be as simple as reading a book or going for a daily walk. Try to take up a hobby and experience a state of flow. Your body and mind will thank you! Blog by Norma Source:https://nicenews.com/culture/meaningful-activities-reduce-loneliness/
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